


A Lovely Night

by BadassIndustries



Series: Dancing Through Life [5]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Complete Gender Equality, Alternate Universe - Regency, But probably nicer in combination with at least one, Can be read without reading the others, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia? don't know her, Triumvirate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 01:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14368143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadassIndustries/pseuds/BadassIndustries
Summary: A collection of snippets that belong to the bigger stories but get archived here for organisational purposes, most of which will be about the Ball from Similarly Occupied and Heaven in your arms. Up till now this collection includes:1.Morning Call-- the morning after the Ball, Combeferre and Enjolras call on Courfeyrac to talk about their evening. (Also appears as the coda to Heaven in Your Arms)2.In Which Courfeyrac's Boudoir is the Scene of Social and Romantic Victory-- A few days after the Ball finds Enjolras lamenting dramatically on Courfeyrac's chaise longue.3.Wherein Everybody Attends Mrs Martin's Engagement Dinner-- When someone in the neighbourhood gets engaged, Enjolras gets to spend an evening thinking of how much he loves and appreciates his friends.4.Courtesy Call, or: The Price of Friendship-- Shortly after Morning Call, Grantaire and his Mama pay a courtesy call to the de Courferyacs, to Courfeyrac's delight.





	1. Morning Call

“Good morning, Courfeyrac. We have come to discuss yesterday’s events,” said Enjolras, striding into the drawing room and depositing his hat and gloves on a nearby side table without a care for the neat arrangement of the flowers his hat disturbed. Combeferre followed him in, and placed both their hats in a position less likely to ruin the arrangement or scatter their hats with pollen. He smiled at Courfeyrac, who was lying about on the sofa beaming up at him, and started his report.

“Thanks to your introduction at the ball last night, Enjolras has made great progress with Lord –” “I really did.” Enjolras interrupted him, with glowing excitement.

“He really seemed fascinated with our cause, if a bit cynical and I am sure I persuaded him to join us. We talked on the subject quite extensively, and he said –”

“Fie! This is no time for business!” exclaimed Courfeyrac, stopping the flow of Enjolras’ words with twinkling eyes and high spirits.

“How can you talk so, when we have much more pressing matters to attend to! Why, I’ve not been kissed for a full twelve hours!”

Enjolras and Combeferre looked at each other. Enjolras lifted an arched brow and dusted some imaginary fluff off his coat.

“I assume that remark was addressed to you, Combeferre, but should it be absolutely necessary, I could work myself up to great heights and mend that grave injustice.”

This was of course said in jest, but still gained him an armful of his high-spirited friend, who was in an instant busy peppering kisses on his forehead. Combeferre attempted to tap Enjolras on the shoulder, but failed because of his fiancé’s energetic movements.

“Mind if I cut in?” “Please,” said Enjolras, who had already reached his limit of over exuberant physical affection for the day.

“And if by that you mean you want your turn to kiss me, I kindly invite you to jump into a lake.”

With that, he deposited Courfeyrac in his friend’s arms and delicately averted his eyes when Courfeyrac accepted this change with delight and increasingly arduous kisses. After five minutes, he sat down and took up a newspaper.


	2. Wherein Courfeyrac’s boudoir is the scene of Social and Romantic Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a few days after Heaven in Your Arms and Similarly Occupied.  
> Courfeyrac dresses, Enjolras laments and Combeferre fixes everything.

Enjolras was making good use of Courfeyrac’s chaise longue. He had draped himself over the side dramatically, gesturing in the air emphatically. It made a beautiful picture with Courfeyrac’s boudoir - filled with the flowers of his admirers- as a background. The picture is ruined by Enjolras’ expression, which is by turns appropriately woeful and hilariously petulant.

“Our society forbids friendship with any eligible  _partie_. If I were to call, his mother would take it as a declaration of intent…”

He had been languishing and lamenting like that in the same vein for the whole forty minutes it took Courfeyrac to get on his waistcoat and cravat. Courfeyrac didn’t mind. Enjolras was never very dramatic or emotional, so he was due some bestirring  of his emotions. And he did look very charming, all laid out and talking conspicuously around the fact that he wants to turn his new acquaintance into an intimate friend without society interfering. And Enjolras didn’t need more than a general agreement that society’s treatment of friendships was deplorable and a denial that no, all hope was not ruined and he would see his new friend again, leaving Courfeyrac enough attention to turn to the choice of his coat.

Just as Courfeyrac was adjusting his collars, his valet announced Combeferre. It was a wondrous thing. The moment Combeferre walked in with his practical and unfashionable boots and his carefully simple cravat, the sun came out too, warming the room -and Courfeyrac- beautifully. With a glance at Thomas, who was leaving the room with Combeferre’s hat and coat and Enjolras, who had thrown his arm over his eyes and curled up pathetically, Courfeyrac held out his hands to Combeferre. Combeferre, because he was an awful tease, merely shook his hand and took a seat on the space the dramatically miserable curled up ball of Enjolras left him. He looked very curious about what was tormenting their generally undramatic friend. And Combeferre was right, of course. Their tearful reunion could wait until they cheered Enjolras enough he would start complaining at the twenty fifth kiss. (This was empirically proven to be about the time Enjolras stopped being pleased for his friends’ happiness and started being impatient. This period of time shortened to thirteen kisses when it was raining). Courfeyrac stopped contemplating coats and carefully unrolled Enjolras enough he could sit at his other side. His friend slumped against him, his head at the perfect distance to bestow several kisses on his brow. Flanked by his friends, Enjolras did seem to have more trouble keeping the pleased smile off his face. An Enjolras in the throes of romantic uncertainty was a curious creature indeed. Of course the man himself would not label it such, wary as he was of anything to do with marriage.

Combeferre moved closer to put his arm about Enjolras’ shoulder, clearly agreeing with Courfeyrac that a friendly embrace would be the best cure for their friend’s woes. Of course, this also brought them close enough Combeferre could brush his thumb over Courfeyrac’s cheek, which was an excellent idea. Combeferre always forgot his gloves whenever possible, making it that much more pleasant to feel the light touch on his face.

“I see,” Combeferre said when Enjolras had related the tale in full again, this time more to the point and with fewer tirades against society. “There is an obvious  solution. You wish to see this Mr Grantaire again, but cannot call on him without coming in the sight of his scheming mother and letting her think it’s a courtship. I cannot call as I have not made either of their acquaintance. ”

Before this could set off Enjolras again about the injustice of the Way Things Are Done, he continued. “But, while amongst ourselves we may have forgotten, it is still customary to pay a courtesy call after a ball. I do not doubt that Grantaire and his mother will call on Courfeyrac’s parents before the week is out.”

He patted Enjolras’ shoulder and stroked Courfeyrac’s hair briefly.

“And, should they neglect the custom, Courfeyrac may visit. All the neighbourhood have given up their matrimonial plans for him since he is such a notorious flirt,” he took the sting out of the words by taking Courfeyrac’s closest hand and pressing a kiss to it. “and he knows their family of old. He can call without raising any eyebrows and make sure Mr Grantaire does indeed intend to attend.”

At this clever display of social graces and machinations Enjolras threw his arms about his friend with an elated laugh. Courfeyrac wanted to follow his example very much. Combeferre was the cleverest man in all the county, if not the whole of England, and Courfeyrac was going to marry him, even if he had to wait a full fifty years.


	3. Wherein Everybody Attends Mrs Martin's Engagement Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole neighbourhood gathers to celebrate the upcoming union of Mrs Martin and Doctor Smith, which means Enjolras gets to enjoy an evening surrounded by old friends and new
> 
> This stoy is a gift for CJ, in thanks for making me laugh with their comments. They asked for a snippet about "Enjolras, especially if it was about how much he loves all his friends? And maybe about how that's starting to include R?"  
> So here you go, thanks for being awesome!

Enjolras was not particularly acquainted with either of the guests of honour, but he had grown up with the Miss Martins, sharing his sweets with them at the children’s parties their parents were fond of throwing them for their birthdays, seeing them in town, and lately, dancing with them at parties. Mrs Cynthia Martin always had a kind word and a sweet for any child forced to accompany their parents on morning calls and she had always encouraged her daughters to be kind to others in kind. Enjolras had long held the suspicion that Mrs Martin tried to encourage her daughters’ friendship with Enjolras and Combeferre in the hope that their studiousness might inspire them to be fonder of books than they were. Both Miss Martins were very sweet girls, but fond of study they were not. Now they were sitting on either side of the guests of honour, beaming up at their mother and her intended. The whole neighbourhood had gathered to a dinner in honour of the newly announced engagement of Mrs Martin and Doctor Smith and their praises were being sung continuously.

The Martins were well-liked and being involved in a whirlwind romance made everybody like them even more. Mrs Martin was wont to take the Misses Martin to Bath for the Season, deeming them not quite ready for the full experience of a London Season. There they encountered Doctor Smith, who practiced medicine on the ailing rich who fled to Bath to take the waters. While the staid, dependable doctor did not quite seem the kind to be enraptured by romance, this did seem to be the case. After meeting for a season Doctor Smith and Mrs Martin decided they could not do without each other and asked the Misses Martin for their blessing to get married. And now here they all were, eating some very excellent desserts and admiring the glow of happiness emanating from the happy couple. Not that the newly engaged pair were the only happy couple glowing of happiness.

Courfeyrac had charmed his way into a place close to Combeferre and was flirting prodigiously with the whole table to hide his sweet looks to his secret fiancé. Combeferre was making a game of turning every flirtation into a factual discussion of science or theory, hiding his own besotted smiles. Cosette was speaking with Suzanna Combeferre, but sending sly looks to Éponine Jondrette opposite her. Enjolras was very pleased to have made Miss Jondrette’s acquaintance. She was clever and fierce, even if she did have a puzzling insistence to occasionally laugh at Enjolras without explaining why. Grantaire did say he thought they’d like each other and he was right. Éponine had such a varied experience of life that she was truly an asset to their society and Enjolras hoped before long to count her as one of his dear friends.

This did not mean, however, that he would admit that to Cosette without a fight, when their inevitable engagement was announced. Cosette had several times asked if he did not think Éponine was delightful and, while he did own to liking her very much, true approval of the match was a trump card he would like to keep in his hand for a while longer. Mainly because he suspected that Éponine’s laughter at him originated from ridiculous falsehoods Cosette had spread. She liked to throw suspicion of her own amorous intentions off by implicating that other innocent people had them. Just because someone was very desirous of striking up a friendship and spending time together without society interfering did not mean they had any marital intentions. ‘First comes love, then comes marriage’ only held true in nursery rhymes. In fact Enjolras could love all his friends very much, without ever even thinking of matrimony.

Looking through the room he felt his heart swell. Even if not all his friends could not be here, separated by circumstance or distance, so many of them were and he was so glad of it. Speaking of distance, Enjolras had been less effective than Courfeyrac in getting his desired seat. (Probably because he had not deigned to charm their hosts into changing their table settings.) This means he was seated rather too close to his parents and rather too far from Grantaire. At their last meeting, they had been discussing a novel Enjolras had been particularly affronted by and he longed to continue the discussion. Perhaps he could catch Grantaire after dinner. Both the Miss Martins were avid players of the piano-forte and the doctor was said to have a pleasant mellifluous voice. Since Enjolras did not play and hid the fact that he could sing very well, he might be excused to sit with his friends. There were enough people here that if someone could only distract his parents, he could easily steal half an hour in Grantaire’s company.

Grantaire was at this moment entertaining Courfeyrac’s younger brother, who had after days of begging finally been deemed old enough to dine with the adults. Grantaire was gesturing wildly, smiling broadly and constantly brushing his curls out of his face when they dangled into his eyes. Enjolras longed to hear what had sent Alexandre into a fit of giggles, staring up at Grantaire with wild, unbelieving eyes. Since Alexandre had started out dinner fastidiously polite and disdainful of anything he deemed ‘childish’, it must be quite a tale. Grantaire finished his story and looked up, right into Enjolras’ eyes. A slow smile bloomed on his face. Enjolras smiled back, before looking down at his plate again, fervently hoping the blush he saw rising on Grantaire’s cheeks was not reflected on his own.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story, which was mostly an excuse for introducing some more of my OC's. About half way through writing this I realised none of you know about the Miss Martins yet, because they feature in the Eposette story I'm waiting to finish before posting.
> 
> Let me know what you think and remember, I am open to requests for snippets like these!


	4. Courtesy Call, or: The Price of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the de Courfeyrac ball, Grantaire and his Mama pay a courtesy call to their hosts, to Courfeyrac’s delight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story exists because TheLordofLaMancha said something along the lines of 'I wish I could know Courf's reaction when he finds out Enjolras was FLIRTING', so now you do. Enjoy!

Courfeyrac, elegantly perched on his father's sofa, was bursting with curiosity. He had not looked forward to a courtesy call this much since he and Captain Crawford were still trying to out-charm each other. Courfeyrac's parents were conversing politely with their right noble guest, leaving Courfeyrac to scrutinise her merely honourable son at his leisure.   
"So Mr. Grantaire, how did my dear friend Enjolras convince you to give your time to our wonderful charity? I was quite convinced I would have to charm you into attendance, but this morning I find you quite convinced already!"   
Mr. Grantaire laughed uncomfortably and glanced over to where Courfeyrac’s father was dutifully distracting her ladyship with talk of the Paris opera. Courfeyrac sized him up, wishing his friends had not stopped him from buying a quizzing glass. Enjolras and Combeferre had banded together to bar him from the purchase because they despised the "foppish affectation". Courfeyrac quite agreed that it didn’t suit his personality, but it would have made this inspection so much more fun.

Grantaire was nicely dressed, aside from the fact that his collar was creased slightly unevenly. The cut of his coat showed his frequent presence in London, which was completely belied by the cut of his hair. Had Courfeyrac not much more important matters to discuss he would take this time to convince Grantaire to do something with his hair. With natural curls in such an abundance, not making the effort to properly arrange them was a true tragedy. But the wild curls did fall into his eyes in a charming manner so perhaps the _au naturel_ look was not entirely without merit. He smiled at Grantaire, who had -in vain- insisted upon dropping all titles at their first meeting and still occasionally tried to be known by a single letter.  
  
"Did Enjolras argue you into submission? He is particularly gifted at rhetoric, isn't he?"  
 Grantaire slumped down dramatically, looking like he'd prefer to be just about anywhere else right now.  
"I could handle the arguing," he groaned, "it was the flirting I could not withstand. I promised to attend just to make him stop!"

Courfeyrac narrowed his eyes. He had not thought Grantaire the kind of man to be so ungracious. But before he could open his mouth to defend his absent friend's honour Grantaire continued in a very different vein. "When an incandescent angel turns his unfathomable charm into a pointed flirtation, what is a man to do but accept his stabwounds and bend to his will?"  
This was certainly a surprise. Courfeyrac was very glad he did not have to call Grantaire out after all, but his pretty speech was very puzzling. Enjolras was as likely to employ coquetry as a tool as Combeferre was likely to be mean to small children. Enjolras had certainly been very excited to talk to Grantaire again, but to strike up a flirtation?   
"Surely you would not accuse my dear Enjolras of being a flirt ? Of all my friends it is only I who bears that epitaph. And proudly, I may add."

Grantaire nearly choked on the emotions that statement evoked in him.

"He was resolved to charm me into compliance, and for a full figure he employed such tricks as I can only subscribe to a hardened flirt such as you proclaim yourself to be. And I do believe I have you to thank for it, because he told me not two minutes later that his friends warned him, falsely and unwisely I may add, that he has no talent for flirtation.”

Grantaire's indignation was worn on his very expressive face. Courfeyrac tried very hard to keep the smile from his own. He was forced to thoroughly inspect his own hands so he would not go on spilling secrets. Enjolras had no talent for flirtation because he had never possessed even a smidgen of romantic sensibility. No matter how well he could parody Courfeyrac's tricks, without a desire to actually make himself agreeable or win someone's favour he would not have had the effect on Grantaire that he obviously had, seeing as Grantaire was still monologuing on the subject of angelic coquetry.

Grantaire was obviously as struck with Enjolras as Enjolras had been with him, even if Enjolras did not expound upon Grantaire’s personal charms quite that much. Courfeyrac had certainly registered Enjolras’ intriguing behaviour after their dance, but he had not dreamed that his introduction could be the seed of an actual romance. Or perhaps not a conventional romance, but certainly a significant friendship. Courfeyrac nearly bounced in his seat in delight. He sat, smiling and plotting, until Grantaire’s rant petered out. Then, he scooted closer, put his hand on Grantaire’s shoulder and grinned at the startled reaction it provoked in Grantaire.

“Monsieur Grantaire, I heartily welcome you to my circle of friends,” he smiled a beatific smile at Grantaire’s quizzical expression. “Enjolras is determined to win your friendship and I quite agree with him. But I am also exceedingly proud of his behaviour and must know more. I’m afraid that _that_ is the price of my friendship.”

He could not manage to summon an apologetic expression, so he gave his delight free rein.

“Now, tell me we shall be friends and tell me everything about your dance together!”

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it might be nice to archive all the short parts of this story neatly in order here. All snippets will appear on my tumblr first.  
> Are there any snippets you would like to see? Let me know in the comments or on my blog!


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